


keep me warm

by rocketsfindplanets



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Fluff without Plot, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-09
Updated: 2018-02-09
Packaged: 2019-03-15 18:57:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13619625
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rocketsfindplanets/pseuds/rocketsfindplanets
Summary: Jack chuckles and shakes his head. “It’s too cold for you to come out here without a jacket on,” he says, tone gentle. There’s no bite to it, not like there would have been, once.The thought of Jack Eichel worrying over him used to be so foreign, and as much as he wishes Jack wouldn’t be so worried, Connor can’t help the warmth he feels in his chest, even through the wind.





	keep me warm

**Author's Note:**

> “It’s too cold for you to come out here without a jacket on.” Requested by anon on Tumblr x

It’s almost too dark to see, but Connor has never been happier to be out, parking his car and then sitting for a minute, scoping out the area.

The place is practically empty, which is perfect. A break from people is nice, sometimes. Except…

He gets out, smiling softly when he sees him.

“Jack,” he greets, unable to help his happiness at seeing him from bleeding over into his tone.

It’s pretty chilly, and Connor shivers a bit, but he doesn’t really care. There’s an open stretch of ice out ahead, and it’s just him, Jack, and the stars. No wind or cold is going to stop him, especially now that he’s already driven out.

“Hey,” Jack greets back, though he’s looking at him with something that can only be judgement.

“What? Is something wrong?” Connor asks, wrapping his arms around himself. He drove all the way down into the States just to see Jack, so he kind of hopes not.

Jack chuckles and shakes his head. “It’s too cold for you to come out here without a jacket on,” he says, tone gentle. There’s no bite to it, not like there would have been, once.

The thought of Jack Eichel worrying over him used to be so foreign, and as much as he wishes Jack wouldn’t be so worried, Connor can’t help the warmth he feels in his chest, even through the wind.

“Well.” Connor licks his lips, shrugging. “I didn’t bring one, so. I’ll manage. It’s not even that cold, considering I’m normally in Edmonton. I just want to be here with you.”

Jack shakes his head again, and Connor watches him take off his hoodie. He swallows, wants to protest. He knows Jack, though, and he knows it would be a waste of breath.

When Jack hands it to him, he hesitantly slips it on, looking down at himself. “Boston, huh?” he asks, smiling as he looked up.

“Never say I’m not loyal,” Jack quips, smiling. “Now come on, put your skates on.”

He does, and he follows Jack out onto the rink. Jack is American which means he has connections in America, so Connor doesn’t need to question how he found this place. They’re at somebody’s house, that much is for sure. He doesn’t need to know the details.

Jack steps onto the ice and holds his hands out for Connor, who eagerly takes them. “You gotta keep me warm, now, yeah?” Jack asks, pulling him close once they’re both on the ice.

It’s not the same as the rinks Connor is used to, inside, and good enough to play NHL games on. Because, well.

Not that he’s complaining. For once, it’s nice to not think about that, to just be able to skate, without freaking out about scoring or going faster, things that might warrant good ice without any chips or inconsistencies.

It’s all nice.

Jack pulls him just about as close as possible, their chests pressing against each other. He’s just barely taller than Connor but they still slot together fine, practice making up for any barriers.

Connor wraps his arms around Jack, as close to him as possible, trying to protect his arms from the wind, at least. Eventually they pull away from each other, but they do stay there a while, maybe just because they can.

Jack takes one of his hands, again, and they just skate.

They don’t say a lot, just making lazy laps around the ice, reveling in the normalcy of it.

He lets himself imagine what it would be like, if they were just two guys, not Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel. He lets himself imagine going to a public rink on a date, holding hands like this, giving each other little kisses without worrying about cameras or teammates or whatever else.

“I wish we could do this more often,” Connor says, almost too quiet to be heard.

“Yeah?” Jack looks over at him, thoughtful.

Connor smiles. “I mean, of course. I wish we could be together, all the time, you know that.”

“I like hearing it, though,” Jack admits, leaning over to peck Connor’s cheek.

It’s too dark for Jack to be able to really see, surely, but Connor can feel the slight flush rising in his face, no matter how long they’ve been doing this, together.

“You think we can come back here one day when it snows?” Connor asks, eventually.

“I think we could do that, or we could try. Definitely no snow in June. But only if you bring a jacket, I’m not doing this again.”

Connor laughs, but he feels a bit bad. “We don’t have to stay out here any longer, we can go do something else.”

Jack is quick to dismiss that idea. “Absolutely not. You’re happy here, and I can handle a bit of cold if it means I get to see that.” He pauses for a second, then continues, “Plus, I get to see you in BU gear. Red and white looks good on you.”

Connor is laughing, still, shaking his head. “Ah, so the truth comes out. Here I thought you were taking me out on a cute little date, but you really just wanted to see me in your hoodie the whole time. You could have just told me, you know.”

That earns him a playful shove from Jack. “Please, you’re the one who didn’t bring a jacket to go skating outside at night.”

“Okay, fine.” Connor skates back over to him, bumping into him on purpose. “I’m keeping this hoodie, though, since I don’t have one.”

Jack feigns an offended gasp, but he can see it in his face how pleased the thought makes him. Jack has always been easy to read, ever since he got to know him. It makes Connor smile.

“I’ll give you something later, don’t worry. Though I have to admit, I can’t really see you in an Otters hoodie.”

“Not a chance,” Jack agrees, and Connor grins.

“We’ll see.”

They don’t end up staying out for too much longer, mostly because Connor insists. Jack’s right, he’s happy out there, away from everything, but it’s getting darker and they’ve been out for a while and he would really like it if his boyfriend didn’t freeze.

“Do you have a hotel?” Jack asks as they’re sitting to take their skates off. “I didn’t know how long you were planning on staying.”

He shrugs. “Uh, no. I thought…”

“Yeah, no, just checking.” Jack smiles. “My parents are there, obviously, but that shouldn’t matter.”

“For sure. I don’t really know how long I’m staying in town, I don’t have any other obligations, so… as long as I can, I guess.”

“Really?” Jack looks a little bit surprised. “Not going to Toronto, or whatever?”

Connor slowly shakes his head. “I mean, I visited of course, but… I want to be here.”

The smile that puts on Jack’s face makes Connor feel like the luckiest guy on Earth.

“Alright. Well, let’s get going then, yeah? Not gonna lie, it’s cold as fuck out here.”

He smiles sheepishly and nods. “Yeah. I’ll just follow you?” Connor asks, standing up and grabbing the bag he’s put his skates in.

“Sounds good. And tomorrow, we’re going out to buy you some clothes, because something tells me you didn’t really prepare for this trip.”

“It’s possible,” he agrees. “You don’t need to buy me anything, though, I can just steal your stuff.”

“Absolutely not,” Jack says. They both know it’s what’s going to happen, anyway. “Now come on, get into your car. I’m tired, and I don’t want to wait any longer to be inside, under a blanket.”

Connor holds his hands up in mock surrender. “I’m going,” he insists, walking faster to his car, throwing his bag in and getting back in himself. He waits for Jack to do the same and follows him back onto the road, even if he’s been to his house before.

It’s not much, just a few weeks over the summer, but as soon as Connor had given Jack a time and Jack had given Connor an address, he had known he was going to come.

It’s not much, but it’s enough. Connor feels happy, and warm, wrapped in red and white that smells and feels like Jack, and it’s enough.

**Author's Note:**

> ya i really was not gonna post this on ao3 but it made me happy, so.. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ i didnt plan this out or anything so dont question it too much lol  
> you can now find me on tumblr @ tylerparsons yay new url !!!!!!!!!!!! for my boy bless <3 also, if you like my writing, you can find smaller things i write on tumblr at tylerparsons.tumblr.com/tagged/my-writing, sometimes i dont post stuff on here................ idk. please like leave kudos or comment if you like, ill try to post something longer than this soonish, writing has been really hard lately rip


End file.
